Holy cats! It's been nearly a year since I last updated this, even though it's been finished on paper for months. I'm sorry for making you wait so long for this little pet project of mine.

    "I never had such a son." Lilly handed Heechul a cigarette, then fought with her lighter until it finally worked. After lighting his, she lit her own and inhaled deeply.
  "Ah, that's better. Now I won't kill anybody." After cracking the windows so they could flick outside the car, Lilly backed out of the parking space and headed out.
  "Are you hungry? Did you want to stop on our way home, or I can make something once we get there."
  "Not really, but stop if you want to." Heechul settled back in his seat, happy to be out of the hospital finally. He was curious to see how his friend lived, having never been in an American home before.
  "We'll just pick up your meds then. I hate dealing with hospital pharmacies, so I had them called in to the one I use."
  They didn't drive long. Less than fifteen minutes later they were pulling into a drive-thru, and Lilly was asking for pickup for a Heechul Kim. He thought his name sounded weird Americanized, but just accepted that was how it was going to be while he was here, his name switched arounded and pronounced oddly.
  "All done. How are you doing?"
  "Okay. It's nice to be back in the world again. Where are we?"
  "About two minutes from the apartment." Lilly explained the general area, pointing out the places she often went, such as her favorite restaurant.
  "Once you're stronger I'll take you out exploring, and you can see how us little people in the US live. I don't genrally have a very fast-paced lifestyle, so I hope you don't mind quiet and laid-back."
  "Umma, I'm just grateful for everything you've done for me. Not many people would be willing to help a stranger, even if that stranger was famous and not in their home country."
  "Don't worry about it silly boy. I did forget to mention one thing. Since I can't hear properly, we'll be sleeping in the same bed in case you need me at night. It's a king-size bed and there is a mountain of pillows to build a barricade if you're afraid I'm going to molest you in your sleep. I know you don't generally like sharing."
  "It'll be weird, but I trust you. Besides, what kind of an umma would molest her own son, even one as handsome as me?"
  Lilly rolled her eyes and shook her head as she pulled into the carport. "I never had such a son. Well, we're here. Welcome to your home for however long it takes you to recover."
  Lilly got out, pulled the wheelchair out with much less swearing this time, and assisted Heechul into it. She handed him his stuff and started pushing him up to the building, stopping to greet a short woman who had just come out with a grey pitbull on a leash.
  "Hey Lady! Hello Mac, you vicious blood-thirsty killer you." Lilly set Heechul's brakes so she could go love up the dog, to responded by drooling and trying to jump up, only to be reined in by his owner.
  After a minute or two Lilly turned to Heechul, who was eyeing the dog warily. "Heechul, this is my neighbor Angela. She'll be the one staying with you when I have to work. This is her dog Mac. He's harmless, unless you're allergic to dog drool. Relax, he won't tear your limbs off, and no one will let him jump up on you either."
  "Hello Heechul, it's nice to meet you" Angela said, offering the man her hand, which he cautiously took. "I'll see you two later. Right now I have to walk this beast." She waved and let Mac pull her away, while Lilly unlocked the security door and pushed the wheelchair inside.
  "There's not much security here, but then there's nothing to take either. This is us." Lilly unlocked a plain grey door and pushed Heechul inside. "Welcome to my humble abode."
  Lilly's apartment was small and cozy, with battered secondhand furniture that still looked comfortable. There were floor to ceiling shelves everywhere, filled to overflowing with books and movies. What currently interested Heechul the most though was the sight of three old-looking cats, who were curled up on the overstuffed couch and eyeing him warily.
  "Ah yes. May I introduce the lords and masters? It's their apartment. They just graciously allow me to live here since I feed and pet them and cater to their every whim. The fat grouchy brown tabby is the oldest, Jack. The plushy grey one is Grady, and the small orange one is her majesty, Princess Molly of the small, North-American fur-bearing house dragons, orange biting edition. She only bites me though, so don't worry. They aren't used to visitors, so don't be offended if they take a while to warm up to you. Molly likes to listen to Korean though, so you may find yourself as her new best friend."
  Heechul set his bag on the floor, then slowly wheeled himself over to make the cats' acquaintance. Grady disappeared as soon as the stranger started moving, but the other two just looked bored. Speaking quietly in his native language, he cautiously extended a hand. Jack shied away, but Molly graciously allowed him to pet her before surprising him by jumping into his lap and purring.
  "I'm impressed. Her majesty isn't generally a lap cat. I told you she liked Korean. The boys will come around eventually. I'll give you the grand tour, then do you want a shower, a nap, or some food?"
  "Shower please. I stink like hospital."
  "I don't blame you."
  Molly jumped down as soon as the humans started to move. Lilly pointed out the obvious living room and kitchen, then showed Heechul the bedroom, hallway, "library" which was really just a second, tiny bedroom crowded with more books, and took him to the bathroom, where they started arguing.
  "You can't get your cast wet, and It's not like I'm going to gawk at you. You wash the parts you can reach, and I'll just do the rest."
  "But Umma! I'll be fine by myself."
  "Don't but me young man! I don't want you slipping and falling. Now, are you going to strip, or do I need to do it myself?"
  "But..."
  "I said no Kim Heechul. Even if I had non-skid stuff, you won't be able to climb in and out without the risk of falling, and I won't have you breaking anything else."
  After a few more minutes of bickering, Lilly's stubbornness and insistance she'd been taking care of men for years so he didn't need to worry won over Heechul's sense of decorum. Inwardly, he knew she was right. He really did need the assistance, but surely it couldn't be right for a woman to see a man , even in such a context? Reluctantly he let her help him strip, though he insisted on covering himself with a washcloth. She wrapped a plastic bag around his cast and helped him onto the bench in the tub.
  Heechul had almost relaxed a little as Lilly ran to get towels and his clothes since they'd forgotten them, only to start sputtering when she came back in and asked, "how hot do you want it, and would you prefer gentle or rough?" She started laughing as he sat there, shocked.
  "Oh, you should see your face! I meant how hot do you like the water, and would you prefer a soft washcloth or rough one and how do you like your hair and back scrubbed?"
  Eventually Heechul recovered enough to answer Lilly, and soon found himself enjoying a warm shower and Lilly's gentle fingers washing his hair. At his request, she soaped up and rinsed it several times before he declared it actually felt clean. She then applied conditioner, and while he washed as much of himself as he could, she scrubbed his back until it stung and he no longer felt itchy.
  Once Heechul was finished, Lilly made sure he was rinsed throughly, then shut off the water. Handing him a towel, she draped another over his wheelchair and dried his hair with a smaller one before wrapping it around his head and helping him out and into his chair. Once dry, she helped him apply lotion, which he was grateful for. As greasy as his hair had gotten, his skin had always felt dry, and he was worried it would get damaged without his usual regimen.
  Now clean and dressed in pajama pants, fluffy socks, and a long sleeved t shirt, Heechul had his hair blow-dried and brushed before he was wheeled back out into the living room.
  "I'll set you up with a movie before I go take my shower. I have a little bit of everything, though most of my movies don't have Korean subtitles unfortunately."
  "That's okay Umma." Heechul had spotted some anime, and decided on Spirited Away, which his friend said was one of her alltime favorite films. Lilly set up the blu-ray player and helped him into a chair with his legs propped up. She explained how to use the remotes and went to take her own shower, while he settled in with his movie, a cup of tea his friend had made him, and Molly who jumped into his lap as soon as he'd quit moving.
  Lilly appeared a little while later in pajama pants and tank top, her damp hair brushed back from her face.
  "I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get hungry."
  Heechul thought about it, only to notice his stomach gurgling. "I think I am too."
  "I'll see what I've got then."
  Lilly padded over to her kitchen and started rummaging around in her fridge. "Hmm, I really need to go shopping. How do you feel about fried rice?"
  "Anything is fine Umma."
  "Shrimp, kimchi, tofu, or yes?"
  "You have kimchi?"
  "Yeah. I bought it, then didn't end up using it. I've gotten it before. It's nothing like homemade, but it's not bad. It can't have a lot of salt, and it's the lowest sodium brand I could find."
  "I'd like to try it. Shimp and tofu if you don't mind."
  "Sounds good to me."
  Heechul went back to his movie, and Lilly started puttering around in her kitchen, swearing and occasionally crashing around as though she couldn't find something. A little while later, the injured man started noticing delicious smells, and ended up watching his friend cook instead of the movie.
  "That smells wonderful Umma!"
  "Thanks. Let's hope it tastes that way."
  When she was done, Lilly set a flat pillow and large book on Heechul's lap after shoving Molly off, before serving him a deep bowl of food. She handed him a set of chopsticks with an apology.
  "Sorry, I only have the ones that came with my sushi set. I can get you a spoon if you'd prefer."
  "This is fine. I missed eating properly. Thank you."
  Heechul took a couple minutes to get used to using his hand again, then cautiously tried the food, only to have to remind himself not to wolf it down as soon as he tasted it. It wasn't anything like he was used to eating, but it had a unique flavor and charm of its own.
  Lilly curled up on the couch nearby with her own bowl. To Heechul's surprise, she used chopsticks as deftly as he did, and left-handed at that. Over two weeks, and he'd never noticed his friend was a lefty.
  After they were finished, Heechul handed Lilly his bowl with a contented sigh.
  "That was delicious Umma!"
  "Thank you. I'm glad you liked it."
  After washing the few dishes, Lilly returned to the living room and they watched another movie. Molly and Jack joined them after a while, and even Grady peeked out of his hiding place. They ended up having an anime marathon, until they stated watching Ghost Hunt and Heechul started whimpering and begging his friend, "turn it off Umma, please."
  "Okay scardy cat."
  After talking for a while, the pair decided they were tired enough for sleep. Heechul took his pain pill, then Lilly tucked him in bed, taking the time to make sure he was comfortable and kissing his forehead before going to take care of the cats and make sure the door was locked. She turned off the lights before climbing into bed herself.
  "Goodnight Heechul. Wake me if you need anything."
  "I will. Goodnight Umma."
  "I never had such a son."